Poetic+Elements

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Topic
Poetic Elements

How does poetry reveal what we might not otherwise recognize?
 * Essential Question **

Common Core Standards

 * RL.9-10.5.** Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
 * RI.9-10.2.** Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
 * RI.9-10.4.** Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
 * W.9-10.2.** Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
 * Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
 * Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
 * Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
 * Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.
 * Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
 * Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
 * W.9-10.7.** Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
 * SL.9-10.1.** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
 * Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
 * Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
 * Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
 * Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
 * SL.9-10.4.** Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
 * L.9-10.3.** Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
 * L.9-10.5.** Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
 * Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.
 * Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

Suggested Student Objectives

 * Define and offer examples of various forms of poetry.
 * Define and explain poetic devices, such as alliteration, assonance, consonance, and enjambment, and describe the ways in which they help reveal the theme(s) of the poem.
 * Describe how poetry differs from prose and explain why authors would choose one form over another for a particulat purpose.
 * Complete a literary research paper, citing at least three different sources.
 * Compare the imagery showcased in several poems to famous works of art and architecture.
 * Compare the poetic elements and their effect on specific poems to the same elements in music.

Suggested Readings
//Note: The majority of the poems listed below and in the previous unit can be placed into a number of different poetic topics. The poems listed under the following topics are only meant to give examples of poems that possess the structure, style, or element indicated. Certainly the poems may be taught in conjunction with additional and/or different styles and elements as they teacher deems appropriate.//

"Saturday's Child" (Countee Cullen) "The Raven" (Edgar Allan Poe)
 * Alliteration**

"Metaphor" (Eve Merriam) __McDougal Littell - The Language of Literature__ p. 59 "We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" (Emily Dickinson)
 * Analogy**

"The Lady of Shalott" (Alfred, Lord Tennyson) "The Raven" (Edgar Allan Poe)
 * Assonance**

"Digging" (Seamus Heaney) "Elergy Written in a Country Churchyard" (Thomas Gray) "We Real Cool" (Gwendolyn Brooks) SpringBoard Workbook p. 211
 * Consonance**

"American Hero" (Essex Hemphill) SpringBoard Workbook p. 240 "Combing" (Gladys Cardiff) SpringBoard Workbook p. 235 "The Beep Beep Poem" (Nikki Giovanni) SpringBoard Workbook p. 241 "Poetry" (Marianne Moore) "Scars" (Daniel Halpern) SpringBoard Workbook p. 239 "Siren Song" (Margaret Atwood) __McDougal Littell - The Language of Literature__ p. 532
 * Enjambment**

"A Lemon" (Pablo Neruda) "Abuelito Who" (Sandra Cisneros) SpringBoard Workbook p. 224 "Ego Tripping" (Nikki Giovanni) SpringBoard Workbook p. 218 "Identity" (Julio Noboa Polanco) SpringBoard Workbook p. 217 "The Sharks" (Denise Levertov) __McDougal Littell - The Language of Literature__ p. 734 "Traveling Through the Dark" (William Stafford) __McDougal Littell - The Language of Literature__ p. 733
 * Figurative Language**

"Abuelito Who" (Sandra Cisneros) SpringBoard Workbook p. 224 "Battle Report" (Bob Kaufman) __McDougal Littell - The Language of Literature__ p. 210 "Campo di Fiori" (Czeslaw Milosz) "The Beep Beep Poem" (Nikki Giovanni) SpringBoard Workbook p. 241 "The Courage That My Mother Had" (Edna St. Vincent-Millay) __McDougal Littell - The Language of Literature__ p. 361 "The Reader" (Richard Wilbur) "Ode to My Socks" (Pablo Neruda) SpringBoard Workbook p. 222 "Young" (Anne Sexton) SpringBoard Workbook p. 232
 * Imagery**

"In Trackless Woods" (Richard Wilbur) "The Strange Case of Ms. Ormantude's Bride" (Ogden Nash) __McDougal Littell - The Language of Literature__ p. 398 "We Wear the Mask" (Paul Laurence Dunbar) SpringBoard Workbook p. 257
 * Rhyme**

"A Poison Tree" (William Blake) SpringBoard Workbook p. 92 "Lord Randall" (Anonymous) "Mending Wall" (Robert Frost) "Phantom Limbs" (Anne Michaels) Psalm 96 (King James Bible)
 * Rhythm**

Sandro Botticelli, //The Birth of Venus// (1486) Vincent van Gogh, //The Starry Night// (1889)
 * __Suggested Art__**

__**Suggested Architecture**__ Chartes Cathedral (1193-1250) Frank Lloyd Wright, Frederick C. Robie House (1909)

Baz Luhrmann, "The Sunscreen Song" Giacomo Puccini, "Un bel di, vedremo" (//Madama Butterfly,//1904) Giacomo Puccini, "O mio babbino caro" (//Gianni Schicchi,//1918) __Rent__, "Seasons of Love"
 * __Suggested Music__**

Resource Links
1. Seamus Heaney reads "Digging" 2. Robert Frost reads "Meading Wall" 3. "The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe" 4. __Snoopy The Musical__, "Edgar Allan Poe" 5. "The Raven" (Edgar Allan Poe) recited by James Earl Jones and acted out by Homer Simpson 6. SOAPSTone Chart (Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone) - SpringBoard Workbook p. 453 7. TP-CASTT Analysis Chart (Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude, Shifts, Title, Theme) - SpringBoard Workbook p. 454

Activities
Which is a more effective form of communication - literal language or figurative language? This seminar question may also be used as an essay topic. Be sure to include at least three reasons or examples from the texts to support your argument. Your teacher may give you the opportunity to share your initial thoughts on the classroom blog in order to get feedback from your classmates. (SL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.4, RL.9-10.6, SL.9-10.1, SL.9-10.3)
 * Writing (Argument) and Seminar Question**

The teacher will have the class create two overlapping circles, each comprised of an equal number of students. One circle will be an inner circle, while the second will be an outer circle forming around the inner one. Once the circles are created, each student will then match up with the student in the same position he/she is in with the other circle. The students will then discuss a particular topic and/or poem with their partner for a predetermined time decided upon by the teacher. When this time has expired, the outer circle will then rotate so that each student is faced with a new partner. A new topic will then be discussed by the partners.
 * Inside / Outside Circle Discussion**

The teacher will divide the class into groups of four or five students, with each group getting a poem and/or piece of artwork, an oversized sheet of paper, and markers. Within the groups, the students will analyze the poem/artwork that was assigned to them and discuss their thoughts and feelings relating to the work. The group will then use the oversized sheet of paper and markers in order to create a visual presentation of their discussion. At the end of the group activity, one student will volunteer to be the presenter while the other members of the group will watch the presentations of the other groups. The students watching the presentations will have a short period of time to read the poem assigned to the other group or view the piece of artwork. The presenters will then discuss what their group thought and explain the work that was completed.
 * Stay and Stray**

The teacher will divide the class into groups of four or five students. Each group will receive a poem along with a worksheet presenting four to five questions (enough for each student in the group to always have a question to answer). The students will read the poem, then answer the first question on their worksheet. After a predetermined time interval, the students will switch worksheets and then answer the next question. Once all the questions on the worksheet have been answered, the students will then have a group conversation based on their thoughts and the answers of their classmates.
 * Table Text**

> (This may also be incorporated into poetic writing by providing the students with a writing prompt and having them write without worrying about format, grammar, or any particular rhyme scheme.)
 * Poetry Reading Exercises**
 * Close Reading - Access small sections of a poem (several lines or a stanza) for the students to read. Then have the students re-read, mark, and annotate the key passages word-by-word and line-by-line.
 * Marking the Text - Selecting text by highlighting, underlining, and/or annotating for specific poetic elements.
 * Visualizing - Forming a picture (mentally and/or literally) while reading the text.
 * Free Writing - Using a fluid brainstorming process to write without constraints in order to solidify and convey the writer's purpose.
 * TWIST Analysis - Analyzing a poetic work by looking at the following literary elements: tone, word choice (diction), imagery, style, and theme. The analysis can be done as a chart and/or written response.
 * Choral Reading - Reading text lines aloud individual and/or in student groups to present an interpretation. (This can also be coupled with oral interpretation - reading a text orally while providing the necessary inflection and emphasis that demonstrate an understanding of the meaning of the poem.)

Assessments
Write an informative and explanatory essay that compares and contrasts the use of a literary device in two different poems. Discuss at least three aspects. Your teacher may give you the opportunity to write your first draft on a shared online document and receive feedback from classmates before publication. (RL.9-10.4, W.9-10.2)
 * Informative / Explanatory Writing**

What similarities can we find between great poems and the masterminds of visual art? Choose one of the following elements of poetry: rhythm, tone, structure, or imagery. How might these poetic elements compare to the formal elements of art, such as line, shape, space, color, or texture? Choose a painting such as //The Starry Night// or //The Birth of Venus// and examine its formal elements. How does the artist utilize each element in each work and write an essay discussing how the author and the painter develop those elements, comparing the two when appropriate. Cite at least three examples of evidence for each work. (RL.9-10.7, W.9-10.2)
 * Art / Informative / Explanatory Writing**

Select a poem (from the list of Exemplar Texts) and perform the following tasks: - Annotate the poem for the poet's use of poetic devices. - Using your annotations, explicate the poem. - In a single paragraph (at least one hundred words long), discuss the poem's theme and the way in which the poet's use of these devices illuminates the theme. (RL.9-10.4, W.9-10.3)
 * Note Taking and Narrative Writing**

What aspects of poetry can be found in songs such as "The Sunscreen Song" and "Seasons of Love," which were heard in class? What poetic elements can be found in the songs you listen to today? How can poetic elements specifically impact the mood, rhythm, imagery, and message of music? Include a multitude of examples in order to fully prove your argument, with a minimum of three per poetic element discussed and/or presented.
 * Poetry and Music Project**

Select a poem that was written prior to the 1900's. The students will initially write a journal entry analysis discussing the main idea, tone, mood, and structure of the poem. Then the students will write their own updated version of the poem in common day language and poetic elements. The students can additionally discuss with their peers the changes he/she made to the poem, along with how he/she kept the main idea of the original poet.
 * Language Usage**